Power-transmission element



Patented Aug. 26, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

ARTHUR HOTJ'GI-I, OF SUMMIT, WILLIAM C. LEONHARD, 0F PASSAIC, JOHN R. DUF- FORD, OF PATERSON, AND JOHN L. ALLMAN, OF EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY.

POXVEB-TRANSMISSION ELEMENT.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ARTHUR HoUsH, VILLIAM C. LEONI-IARD, JOHN R. Durronn. and JOHN LEONARD ALLMAN, citizens of the United States of America, residing at Sum mit, Passaic, Paterson, and East Rutherford, respectively, in the counties of Union, Passaic,-Passaic, and Bergen, respectively, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Power-Transmission Elements, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to power transmission elements made of, or having a. partmade of, laminated material comprising paper, preferably thin parchmentized paper impregnated with an oily material, either a mineral oil or a vegetable oil, and for certain purposes a highly viscous mineral material, such as Vaseline, either alone or mixed with other mineral oil or other oily material.

By way of special example of the invention, we will describe the manufacture of a gear or pinion in accordance with the pres ent invention. A number of discs of vegetable parchment are prepared, for example by soaking paper, preferably a rather thin paper, in sulphuric acid of about to 75% strength at a temperature between 10 G. and 40 Q, after which the paper is washed in a manner well known in the manufacture of vegetable parchment or parchmentiZed paper. For the purpose of the present invention, it is preferable to employ a thin paper, so as to prouuce a thin vegetable parchment having a thickness of about .004 inch or thereabouts. After the usual washing and drying the paper is coated and impregnated, for example by dipping and running through rollers, int a mineral oil or a vegetable oil or a mixture of such oils or a mixture of one or the other or both of these oils with petroleum, ordinary Vaseline, or some similar material to act as a permanent lubricant. Discs of the paper thus prepared (which of course can be cut at any suitable stage of the operation) are then piled up one on top of the other until the desired thickness is produced, care be ing taken to cross or stagger the running grain of the paper. The stack of discs of paper is now placed between cheeks of iron or any other suitable strong metal and sub jected to great pressure and are then looked Serial No. 615,939.

into position by means of suitable nuts or bolts or rivets in substantially the same manner as in the manufacture of raw hide and similar gears. The article is then suitably surfaced, for example, by cutting teeth in an ordinary gear-cutting milling machine, the teeth being of the desired size, number and shape. During this operation teeth may also be cut in the metal cheeks, if desired, these teeth being of the same size and shape as those on the laminated portion of the gear. For many purposes however, this is notnecessary nor desired, and the cheeks may be of somewhat larger diameter, somewhat smaller diameter or the same diameter as the laminated portion of the gear.

Gears prepared in the above manner possess unusual permanency and strength, they have an extraordinarily high resistance to water and to those liquids or vapors which tend to depreciate the quality of other gears or pinions of laminated character, such as those made from raw hide or paper which has not been impregnated. Another very valuable point in this invention is the self lubricating feature of the gears, which is produced by the method of manufacture. Owing to the great pressure, oil will exude from between the discs of paper, this exudation taking place for a long period after the gear has been completed, whereby the same becomes self lubricating. lVhen it is desired to produce a product which can be subjected to acid vapors without injury, petrolatum is preferably used, either alone or with other oil material, in impregnating the vegetable parchment. Under the enormous pressure existing the oil will continuously exude slowly, this exudation not only producing the self lubricating feature above referred to but also prevents absorption of moisture, liquids or vapors, such as might tend to destroy the parchmentized paper. The discs under pressure have much the appearance of a block of ivory, but its color will depend t a considerable extent upon the particular oil material used in the impregnating operation.

Although the exudation of oil may continue slowly for years in use, this will not loosen the discs of paper, since the amount of compression of the parchment discs is so enormously greater than the diminution in thickness of the oil film, which is produced by such exudation. In fact experi- I ments have demonstrated that although the exudation of oil may continue for a long period, the diminution in thickness is insufiicient to measure. I

-Attention is also called to the fact that the invention is not restricted to the manufacture of gears, but is also useful in the production of friction pulleys, either coned or cylindrical and other power transmission devices.

WVe claim:

1. A gear having a part thereof made of sheets of thin parchmentized paper, impregnated with a normally viscous oil material and united together under high pressure.

2. A gear having a part thereof made of sheets of thin parchmentized paper impregnated with a. mineral oil material including .petrolatum united together under high pressure.

3. A power-transmission element comprising metallic end pieces rigidly secured to each other, and a. partbet-ween such metallic end pieces, composed of sheets of thin parchmentized paper, impregnated with a normally viscous oil materia'land united together under high pressure, such intermediate part being provided with a bearing surface capable of acting to transmit power. I y ,7

4. A process of making a power-transmitting element which K comprises impregnating sheets of parchmentized paper with a normally viscous oil material, stacking a suflicient, number of the impregnated sheets to produce the desired thickness, and compressing the stack of sheets. 7 1 I;

A process of making a .poyver-transmitting element which comprises impregnating sheets pf parchmentized paper with a normally viscous oil material, stacking a sufiicient number of theim pregnated sheets to produce the desired thickness, and compressing the stack of sheets, and trimming the surface of the pressed element, to shape.

6. A process of making a power-transmitting element which comprises impregnating sheets of parchmentized paper with anormally viscous oil material, stacking a suflicient number of the impregnated sheets to produce the desired thickness, and, compressing the stack of sheets and locking the stack of sheets, between two metallic elements.

7. A process of making a power-transmitting element which comprises impregnating sheets of parchmentized paper with a normally viscous oil material, stacking a sufficient number of the impregnated sheets to produce the desired thickness, and compressing thestack of sheets, and locking the stack of sheets between two metallic elements and cutting gear teeth on the surface of said compressed laminated elements.

'8. A power transmission appliance comprising a part made of parchment paper, to which has been applied a mineral or vege table oil or jelly, substantially as described.

9. A power transmission element, a part of which is composedessentially of many layers of parchmentized paper, impregnated with an oleaginous material including pet- :rolatum, such article being compressed into a solid block.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR HOUGH. WILLIAM C. LEONHARD. 7 JOHN R. DUFFORD. L. ALLMAN. ll itnesse-sz J. A. NEWMAN,

E. G. BEACH. 

